“I watched it sink.”
“And yet.” He smiled. “Here I am.”
My insides twisted violently.
I still remembered that night in terrible detail. The cliffs were wet and slippery from the storm. The chains tore through my gloves, burning my skin as I dragged the coffin inch by inch. There was absolute certainty that if I failed, I would never be free again.
For over a century afterward, I had believed I’d succeeded. No progeny truly ever escapes their sire, but I had managed distance.
Then the recent floods came. Weeks and weeks of relentless storms battering coastlines across Europe. Entire villages swallowed by rising waters. Cliffs collapsing into the sea. And in all that chaos, a coffin had finally broken loose from its prison.
Bogdan moved past me toward the sitting room. I followed automatically. Another compulsion. Never let him out of sight unless dismissed. The order settled over my nervous system like iron hooks.
He sank elegantly into one of my armchairs and glanced around the cottage. “You’ve made yourself quaint.”
I said nothing.
His gaze drifted toward the shelves filled with labeled herbs and recipe books and carefully organized tea tins, then to my planner on the kitchen counter.
His lips parted just a fraction, a quiet twitch of recognition settling over his features. “Ah.”
My stomach dropped. Slowly, Bogdan stood and crossed the room. I moved instinctively to intercept him.
Pain exploded behind my eyes immediately. The compulsion hit so hard my knees nearly buckled. He looked back at me mildly. “Careful, poppet.”
I froze.
He studied the calendar for a long moment. CJ piano lessons. Bianca museum trip. Billie science fair. Meal prep notes. Grocery lists. Little hearts drawn beside important days.
Bogdan smiled faintly. “You’ve been nesting.”
Humiliation flooded through me. “I’ve been working.”
“You, my dear, are pretending. Playing house, yes?”
His fingers brushed lightly across one of the notes Billie had added in crooked handwriting: BUG FACT BOOK DUE FRIDAY
“How long have you been playing housekeeper?”
“Nanny.”
“Mm.” He looked around again. “I suppose it suits you.”
I hated how much that hurt. Because it did suit me. That was the terrible thing. After all these years, after all the wandering and hiding and surviving, I had finally stumbled into something that looked an awful lot like happiness. I had finally found someone waiting for me to come back.
“You love them.”
I stayed silent.
His eyes narrowed slightly. “You truly do.”
Another pause.
“How unfortunate.”
I turned away before he could see my face.
Bogdan wandered toward the fireplace, trailing his fingers across the mantle as though reacquainting himself with the century.
